Productive Zakat as an Instrument of Social Transformation in Alleviating Structural Poverty in Indonesia: An Analysis of the Role of Amil Zakat Institutions, Resource Distribution, and Mustahiq Empowerment through the Lens of Talcott Parsons's Structural Functionalism

Abstract

Zakat  one of the five pillars of Islam, constituting an obligatory annual wealth transfer from those above the nisab threshold (muzakki) to designated categories of recipients (mustahiq)  represents one of the world's oldest and most systematically institutionalized redistribution mechanisms. In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority democracy, the potential annual zakat collection has been estimated at approximately IDR 327 trillion (approximately USD 21 billion), yet actual collection in 2024 reached only an estimated 7.1 percent of this potential  a gap that simultaneously represents an immense unrealized resource for poverty alleviation and a significant institutional challenge. This article examines productive zakat  the application of zakat funds to income-generating activities and human capital development rather than mere consumptive distribution  as an instrument of social transformation for addressing structural poverty in Indonesia, through the analytical lens of Talcott Parsons's Structural Functionalism, particularly his AGIL (Adaptation, Goal Attainment, Integration, Latent Pattern Maintenance) framework. Through systematic qualitative literature review and secondary analysis of BAZNAS (Badan Amil Zakat Nasional) data and empirical impact studies, the study demonstrates that productive zakat, when properly institutionalized through capable Lembaga Amil Zakat (LAZ), functions as an integrated social system that simultaneously addresses all four AGIL functional imperatives: providing economic adaptive capacity to mustahiq households, organizing collective goal attainment toward poverty reduction targets, integrating social solidarity through redistributive institutional channels, and maintaining Islamic cultural values of generosity and dignified human development. The analysis identifies both the significant achievements and the persistent structural limitations of the Indonesian productive zakat system, with particular attention to the gap between collection potential and actualization, the quality variation of LAZ institutional capacity, and the challenge of sustaining mustahiq transitions to economic self-sufficiency.

Keywords

AGIL; Lembaga Amil Zakat; mustahiq empowerment; Parsons; productive zakat; structural poverty; social transformation